Archive for December, 2012

Fortune Cookie: What is your perfect marriage? What steps will it take to get you there? How can you begin, at least with a baby step, today?

Well… What a wonderful card for New Year’s Day… and thus for the entire year of 2013!

Best we really, REALLY REALLY pay attention. Apparently there’s important stuff here for your life and for our world. (Stuff being a, like, significant metaphysical AND mystical Tarot term.)

In most Tarot decks, the Four of Spears would be seen as a card of harmony, prosperity, happy social occasionsand perhaps even romance. So, I hope you will find a way to have all that on tap for today, or at least for this evening. By all means go after those things… in any way that won’t get anybody arrested.

When I’m working with a client, I tend to perceive the card as having a stronger energy than those attributes listed above, wunnerful though they are. In fact, I feel this card makes makes a pretty powerful demand on the person I’m reading for.

Because of Anna-Marie Ferguson’s illustration for this card in her Legenddeck, and the story it portrays, I call it “The Card of the Perfect Marriage.”

If I were reading for you − as I am just this sec, now that I think of it – I’d suggest you take a few minutes today for a good, hard, close look at all the major areas of your life, especially the ones that register as REALLY important to you just now – whether business, spiritual path, health, and yeah, even relationship – and ask yourself honestly:

What would it take — from everyone involved — to help the situation so that it can evolve into a “perfect marriage?” Or, what will it take to be honest with yourself and accept that a perfect marriage in said area really-prob’ly-utterly-just-ain’t-gonna happen? And what are all the implications either way?

And remember that, at least as it is represented archetypally,marriage is a coming together of opposites.

So think about how something that seems completely the opposite of what you’d normally expect — or would normally want to try or would normally think could succeed — might create the harmony, the prosperity, the health, the partnership, the opportunities, the “perfect marriage” you seek.

In the areas of your life most important to you today: What is your perfect marriage? What steps will it take to get you there? How can you begin, at least with a baby step – perhaps in an unusual way or unusual direction –today?

Bright blessings and happy realizations!

Quote for the Day: Though I often run out of courage and good sense, stubbornness keeps me going. ~ Simon R. Green

And:“I’ve learned never to close my mind to an idea simply because it seems miraculous.”~ Dan Brown, from The Lost Symbol

Toady’s Waethyr: Bonzo doodahs for one and all. All. Right. All. And a beautiful year already here!

Okay, Y’all: We last saw this card about two months ago. Therefore, we’ve all had plenty of time to work with its good counsel and direction.

So which one of you is still holding out on following your bliss? Hunh? Hunh?

Not!! Good!!!!

Anyway, I’m always grateful when this card comes around again, for prolly more reasons than I can count. Sometimes I think this may be the most important card in the deck, for us and for the world in this time. It is in fact the FIRST card in the deck, which should give you some idea of the weight it carries.

Just as significant, it’s the antithesis to that common state I see so very often: folks lassoing their own private gloom clouds, knotting them in place just above their heads and walking around beating themselves with a stick [riding crop, electroshock device, or small laser, if budget permits] while chanting that ever-so-helpful mantra, “Life sucks. The world is doomed. Life sucks. The world is doomed. Life sucks. The world is doomed, and I’ll probably be first in line to get whacked.”

If these are in fact transformational times [and they are], then that is ZACKLY the wrong thing to immerse yourself in! No? Yes!

So, back to the card.

Da Ful: this card does not mean that you are a fool or are inevitably going to be foolish today ~ at least not in the normal way our culture perceives foolishness.

This is therefore the card that offers you permission to go off on your own great and profound personal quest, just like Percivale did. (And he became one of the three greatest knights of all, y’all!)

The important aspect (and for some of us, the hard work) is:

to actually KNOW what our bliss is (or would be/could be) if we would own it.

Because you see, when we get kinda down or times are tough, THAT is often the first knowing or believing or hope that goes RIGHT out the window.

So, as I have written before, this is the somewhat rambling response I’ve given to a few clients when they’ve asked,

Follow my bliss?

What the hell does that mean?

You start by knowing what your heart’s true desire is [provided it’s moral, of course. At least mostly. And pretty close to legal. Pretty close.] If necessary, take some time to hone your understanding of what that means to you, for today, anyway. Do it over an extra cuppa if that’s all the time you have. But do it.

Do!!It!!!!

Then, no matter how impossible or illogical it may seem, like −

I’m gonna write a children’s story about an orphan boy who goes to a school for wizards, and it’s going to be so beautifully done it’s going to earn me enough to support myself and my family for the rest of my life. In fact, it’s going to make me the first person to ever earn a billion dollars from writing fiction! [Like THAT could ever happen!]

− take your first single SMALL step on the path that follows your bliss.

And see what that leads to.

Then take the next step.

And see what that leads to. And so on.

The difference between The Fool and some other Tarot cards that offer permission to follow your own unique path is that The Fool in particular says,

“Stay connected to your heart, moment by moment.

Know that your heart may change, and so your direction may change, moment by moment. But DO NOT allow yourself to think less of yourself, your efforts or your path because of that. Go where your heart tells you and you will achieve more than most will ever even hope for.”

This is the card of the Sacred Fool, the Holy Fool; the one who is open to divine inspiration and honors it by following his or her bliss, harm to none and love for all, always.

IF we know our hearts truly truly;

IF we honor that which truly resonates for the Highest and Best,

which is always one with OUR Highest and Best;

IF we

follow

our

bliss.

Wishing you a day of magic, and the sacred, and yourtrue path.

Brightest Blissings!

Quote for the Day: I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be. ~Douglas Adamsfrom The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul

Fortune Cookie: Find a goal that is worthy of your efforts. Know what it is, and why you have chosen it. Keep pushing once, twice, AS MANY TIMES AS IT TAKES till the opposition is eliminated or finally just gives up and goes away. And know that your most beautiful dreams can come true.

Hmmm… mmmm… Mmmmmm… Last saw this card almost exactly four months ago. And it is in fact a timely card, indeed a PERFECT card for the Winter Solstice (YULE) because it cautions us to see the entire Winter season through the prism of its wisdom and direction.

Entire.

Winter.

Entire Winter.

Got it? ‘Kay!

So…

Let’s cut to the chase on this one. It’s a card that says (in my perception)

Try, TRY, TRY AGAIN!

And it’s a good card right now, I’m thinking, when people may be experiencing some Holy **** how-did-it-get-to-be-Winter-already?-type confusion and even depression and maybe some fatigue ~ compassion fatigue, rain AND drought and cold fatigue, Browns fatigue, perpetual Kardashian fatigue, trying to send healing & light to the crazies who are worried about the Mayan thing fatigue, trying to send healing & light to yourself fatigue, recession fatigue, Ohcrap!I’vegotthefluagain fatigue, my boss is a twit fatigue, life sucks fatigue, Neal drones on and on like an old gargoyle on valium fatigue ~ whatever.

Well, too bad. Because, you see, the potential for you to experience goodness and goodies far beyond your brightest hopes is right there in front of you IF you screw up your courage and connect with your dreams and

Try, TRY, TRY AGAIN!

[Do I need to do that lunacy one more time, or have I made my point?]

The Seven of Shields in my deck is a card that requires a Nealio’s sprained-bashed-and-mangled faerystory version of the legend behind the card.

So listen to da ol’ storytellah here:

[Hmmmm… That IS the haircut I had through most of the 70s.]

As usual, my version of the story may be a bit different than what you will find in some — if not most — Arthurian mythologies. And my interpretation of the card veers a bit from the norm as well. So, depending on what you can best handle at the moment, grab a mug of hot something, a bottle of whatever, a hookah or a few of those cute little mushrooms the seven dwarves used to sell on market day, and away we go!

Sir Gawain found himself in hot pursuit of an outlaw knight. He chased the cur over hill and dale [sorry yet again, Dale] until at length the outlaw rode into the courtyard of a great castle, and then right into the great hall of the castle itself.

Gawain galloped on in hizownseff.

As Gawain entered the hall, he began being pelted by a huge indoor storm of sleet, iceballs and stones. Being a prudent man, Gawain reined in his worthy steed, thinking, “Hmm…. ‘There’s more here than meets the eye,’ as Ringo once said. Or will have once said some day. Maybe I better just go back and tell the lads I lost track of the blighter, and I’ll hunt him down another day.”

But being a brave soul and one of the leading lights of the flower of chivalry that was Camelot, he pulled himself together and said, “Nay then. ’Tis my quest, and meet it is that I pursue it come what may.” Or something with a bit more testosterone and fewer letters. Beginning with F and ending with T. And he began pushing his way through the storm.

At which point the storm simply stopped.

And he found himself confronted by an entire army, blocking the path of pursuit. Again he took pause, thinking, “This here is some weirdness here, y’all kin bet ready money on that! Maybe it’d be better to jist come back another day and see wossup then.” But again, he screwed up his courage [see verbiage above], pulled out his trusty sword and launched himself against the foes.

At which point they disappeared. Ha! Hahaha!!

Only to be replaced by a huge lion and griffin who – um, which? Nah, who − blocked his way. This time Gawain really took a step back, thinking, “Okay. Look, magic is one thing, but this is getting ridiculous. I could end up a hot steaming lunch here. And, they’re protected species, aren’t they? I’m just not gonna.… I’m not…. Aw, bugrit!”

And again he remembered his quest and his solemn vow to his droogies from the Round Table, so he pushed forward, hard. The lion and griffin disappeared.

And as Gawain moved forward into the center of the immense hall, A GREAT MAGICKE occurred. There was a shimmer, and a shine, and a wrinkle in reality. It became a doorway into a realm of wonders, goodness and healing. It was a place which offered many amazing, magical things, along with major cash and gems, which the goodlye Knighte gathered up and took back for the benefit of Camelot.

So, what has that got to do with the card?

I thought you’d never ask. [Just like you thought I’d never finish that damn story.]

Okay, some readers see the Seven of Shields as betokeningmoney, business and barter. Other say it means it’s time to re-evaluate one’s Mission Statement. Anna Marie Ferguson, creator of theLegenddeck, writes of treasures, bounty, persistenceand the steady,methodical removal of obstacles[some of which may be in-laws, coworkers or bonehead politicians, I’d guess].

When this card shows up for a client, I’m likely to say,

Okay. What it comes down to now is

~ knowing what you’re really going after, and

~ why, and

~ refusing to give up.

You may feel overmatched, overwhelmed, afraid and even a tad hopeless. But if your goal is REALLY important to you, remember what it is, screw up your courage, dig in your heels and push back or push on. Hard!

Hard!

And if you really have chosen a goal that is worthy of you, and important to you, have faith in yourself. You will succeed beyond your brightest dreams.

Find a goal that is worthy of your efforts. Know what it is, and why you have chosen it. Keep pushing once, twice, AS MANY TIMES AS IT TAKES till the opposition is eliminated or finally just gives up and goes away. And know that your most beautiful dreams can come true.

Bright blissings and great wonders!

Quote for the Day: Not everything has to mean something. Some things just are.~ Charles de Lint

Fortune Cookie: Honest and open dialogue is important today. So is networking. Get out and meet new people. Make new connections for your potential benefit.

Okay, kids. We have now seen this card four times since November 29. So, ya think MAYBEEEE it’s got a message that we MAYYYYY just need to attend to? Eh?

Let me reemphasize that networking and communications might be kinda sorta important all the time. So please keep that in mind DAILY. [Reader gets down off soap box. Replaces soap. Carries back to warehouse from which it was pilfered. Makes note to be taller next lifetime.]

Some readers see this card as betokening recreation.[So do take at least a little time to celebrate something today, if you please.]Others find it to be about receiving news in writing. Some say it indicates that the querent isjuggling a lot of things at the moment, and must work to keep things on an even keel. [‘Scuse me? Anybody NOT experiencing that? Anybody? I dare you to admit it!]

Anna-Marie Ferguson, creator of the Legend Tarot, writes of successfulhandling of fluctuating fortunes,employingcreative maneuvers and the reevaluation of plans.

So, dear readers [y’all], if any of those things resonate for you based on what you’re experiencing lately, or expect to experience in the near future, by all means take advantage of this card’s confirming insights and make some skillful moves on your own behalf. Don’t sit there like a deer in the headlights!

Jeeesh!

In working with clients over a number of years, I find a couple other recommendations to be useful when this card comes up.

First, it shows up as a card about networking. Get out and meet new people,learnabout them and have them learn about you.Do. Not. Hide. [Tarot guy grumbles and throws things at the monitor. Then realizes HE’S the one who just typed that.]

On a deeper level, it’s a card about honest and open dialogue.You mustspeak your truth − calmly, calmly if possible – directly to those who need to hear it and/or those who can help you follow through with what your truth requires. But then you must ALSOpatiently, quietly, compassionately listen to the responses of the person you have addressed, and take their honest words into serious consideration.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly for all of us at any time, this is

The card of

the Kozmic Giggle.

[That’s the aspect portrayed in the Legend deck. When Uther, Arthur’s father, came to possess Castle Pendragon, he felt it was hard to defend. He and his chaps dug a moat and diverted the River Eden to fill it, to help make the place harder to get into. Well, long story short, the River just wasn’t having any, and each morning Uther found the river running exactly where it always had. He eventually accepted the situation, laughed at how the Kozmos will have its own joke, even on a king, and went on to work on other things.]

So it’s also a card that counsels us to retain a sense of humor when done in by mishaps. And even in a loving universe [and despite our best efforts], there will surely be some!

See?

So network. Engage compassionately in honest and open dialogue. And try to keep it light!

Brightest blessings!

Quote for the Day: If we don’t succeed we run the risk of failure. ~ J. Danforth Quayle

And: The future will be better tomorrow.~ J. Danforth Quayle

And: It’s a question of whether we’re going to go forward into the future, or past to the back. ~ Guess Who…

Fortune Cookie: Be there! Be open! Reach out for the ☼☼☼NEW☼☼☼ that is coming into your life! Let yourself be available to receive and pursue it. RIGHT NOW!!!!

Hmmmmmm… This card last showed up in early October. I’m glad it’s back, because I know at least a couple specific people for whom this is the PERFECT card just this minute. So, in case YOU are one of them, please pay attention and take advantage of what the card offers fer the luvva whatever you consider sacred!

And, once again, again, again, my interpretation of this card varies some from the norm. That kinda thing surely no longer surprises anybody.

Many readers would respond to this card by suggesting things like friendship, affinity, concord, union, even love. Some might say it bespeaks a complementary match, or a very solid relationship.

Dear, sweet…

Okay.

Okay.

Look:

Anna-Marie Ferguson, creator of theLegend deck, finds things like the beginning of a trusted partnership, rapport and the forming of strong emotional bonds.

Not even I would be idiot enough to fight with that, or to want to. So especially if any of those interpretations resonate with you – in terms of what you’re seeking lately or in terms of what the Universe seems to be offering today – honor it. Seek it. Go after it full tilt.

But when this card has turned up for many clients, the intuitive information that almost always pops out of my mouth is,

“Look:

Some amazing (or beautiful or tremendously healing or whatever)NEW ENERGY(or opportunity or person or position or vision) is trying to come into your life.

It will, if you let it, sweep you off in a

wonderful,

beautiful,

incredibly positive

NEW DIRECTION.

LET IT!

LET IT!

LET IT!”

So:

Be there! Be open! Reach out for the ☼☼☼NEW☼☼☼ that is coming into your life! Let yourself be available to receive and pursue it. RIGHT NOW!!!!

Fortune Cookie: Reach out. Ask for help. Let yourself receive help − help of all kinds from all appropriate levels. Especially seek assistance from those who are extremely capable of helping you understand, take on and overcome the difficulties [or go after the new goals] that may be trying to creep up [or that are emerging].

Aw, c’mon you guys. This card only showed up about 6 days ago. Y’know?

So… For those of you who weren’t focusing all so very swell when this card showed up way then:

Yo! Yo! Ovah Heeeyah! Ye-yah. Heee-yah! I’m tawking to yuuu—-uuuuuu!

PAY ATTENTION!

[And by the way, what DIDN’T you ask for help with back then that you might have. Eh?] [And and, as it showedup for us on Feb. 29, Leap Day, may I strongly suggest again that we all look at the entire rest of the year through the lens this particular card offers? Pretty please? With caviar and party franks? Or Frank’s party?]

As I said the last couple of times this card showed up, this is really one of those cards that a client only has to see for about a second before they start whining and puling. Can’t say I blame them, based on how the Eight of Swords is usually depicted.

Even in my Legend deck, the largest elements are Guenevere tied to the stake, wood piled about her, the executioner (looking very much like Lurch from the original Adams family) ready to set the pyre alight. Charmin’ all ’round, ’tis.

So when intuitive consultants (Tarot types) typically offer interpretations along the lines of bad news, conflict, slander, crisis, regret and being held at a disadvantage − I suppose I can see why a client might whimper some.

However − as most of you have already begun to say under your breath – ol’ Nealio, he don’t see it THAT way.

Let’s think about something for a second. [Yes, you have to. Have another coffee or a strawberry cough pancake for pity’s sake.]

Why do people come to guys like me for a reading? [Be nice. Remember, I STILL know your email address.] [And besides, I need the answer to that question for a fall marketing blitz.]

People should NOT NOTNOT come to a Tarot reader just to hear what’s gonna happen. They SHOULD work with people of my ilk to learn what THEY need to know that will help THEM maximize success and optimize outcomes!BIIIIIIIG difference!

I like a phrase my wife shared with me. “Some American Indians think of prophecy as that which can be changed.”

So, you come to me for a reading. The Eight of Swords turns up. You start looking for a place to hide. You find you don’t fit under the table and you can’t leap from the window because we’re in a basement.

So I say,

Wait a minute! Wait! Wait! Wait!

[Wait!]Don’t leap (or claw your way up) to conclusions!

The first thing this card is telling you is that, if you’ve been feeling bound, trapped, concerned that there’s some negativity trying to bring you down, you’re right. You’re not just being a wuss.

But! BUT!!!!! Look carefully at the card, Watson.

The Queen is tied to the stake and about to become an order of crispy-crunchy, dipping sauce upon request, no vegans please. However, peer more closely [I’m exerting peer pressure] and you’ll see there are knights coming over the hill, riding to her rescue. And, if you remember your old Richard Harris movies, they will succeed.

This card is a gift to you, warning you in advance of possible crisis and other down-side realities. And sure, if you freeze like a deer in the headlights, you will become Highway Sushi.

How should you deal with this card? Do what Guenevere did.

Reach out.

Ask for help.

Let yourself receive help − help of all kinds from all appropriate levels.

Especially seek assistance from those who are extremely capable of helping you understand, take on and overcome the difficulties [or go after the new goals] that may be trying to creep up [or that may be emerging].

That will lead you to the most positive outcome possible, and even to a successful turnaround of the situation.

This card offers an end to adversity and a new beginning.

Let me repeat that for greater effect:

This card offers

an end to adversity

and a new beginning.

But you have to reach out for itand grab the help when it’s there. (After all, don’t you owe it to all the rest of us to make your life, and thus the greater vibration, better?)

Feeling tied down or tied in knots? DON’T try to handle it alone. Reach out. Get general support from all those who care about you. Engage those who have the strength, skill and wisdom to help you free yourself and move on to new, bright possibilities. And make it a habit not to go solo any more. Reach out. Ask for help − of the highest and best kind.

Bright blessings, hope, peace and joy!

Quote for the Day: Let a joy keep you. Reach out your hands and take it when it runs by. ~ Carl Sandburg

Fortune Fookie:Think upon the commitments for this lifetime that you made before you came into being. Determine the next few steps to keep you moving along that path – or the first steps that will be necessary to move you back onto that path. And GET GOING!

Okay… This good fellow last stopped by excatly two weeks ago.

It is a card of sacred questing, and for all of us, whatever our spiritual path, it’s a good reminder to look at and remember what’s REALLY important and worthwhile and magical and holy ~ at any time of year.

The Knight of Cups is always a good energy & good advice card. As I have said, I think of this as the card of the sacred quest.

Therefore, if you have been feeling that your life really isn’t going in the direction you and God (Spirit, The Universe, the Universal Life Force, the Big Enchilada, Maggie Smith, The Voice of John Cleese, Jimmy Fallon ~ whoever) agreed to before you accepted birth this time around:

HEY! YOU!!!!

Don’t you think it’s time to reconnect and GET GOING?

Some readers might interpret the Knight of Cups as the coming of a messenger, advancement in the world,or a graceful but not warlike person of great masculine energy [think Baryshnikov, I guess. Or Angelina?]. Others could say it indicates someone (maybe you?) ingenious, full of original ideas (probably you!) .

Anna-Marie Ferguson, creator of theLegend deck I use, feels this card betokens a tempting proposalwhich deserves serious consideration. [However, avoid snakes in apple trees and guys playing the fiddle at the crossroads. ‘Cos things rarely work out with those deals there.]Also, an approaching opportunity for advancement. Or an unexpected gift.[Duh!] So if something like that crosses your path today, assume you deserve it, accept it fully and gratefully, andrun with it!

I still like my intuitive interpretation best. [And I say that with no modesty whatsoever.]

Think upon the commitments for this lifetime

that you made before you came into being.

Determine the next few steps

to keep you moving along that path –

or the first steps that will be necessary

to move you back onto that path.

And GET GOING!

Bright blessings and remembrance of your sacred self, and the sacred in us all and everywhere!

Fortune Cookie: Own the Renaissance Man or Woman in you.What interests, skills, and wisdom will you pursue, and pursue deeply? Which one first? How can you start TODAY?

No, that is still NOT a mullet! And neither is his hair, yet, either.

Okay, look y’all. This extraordinary fellow last showed up in latish October. And most of us have neither the time or inclination to read long, rambling, semi-marginally helpful posts like this. So, who wasn’t paying attention that time? Eh? Who? Have a little consideration for the rest of us, willya?

As I always say, he’s a wonderful role model to keep close by and attend to. So let’s do it anyway.

Anna-Marie Ferguson, creator of Legend, the Arthurian Tarot, finds the King of Spears to be amature man [I suppose these days, for this blog, we should say mature PERSON] of wisdom, someone with humor and theatrical flair. [Anybody come to mind? Jon Stewart, maybe? Oprah? Whoopi? Bill Clinton? Baryshnikov? Me? Me??? I would hastily call your attention to the word MATURE.] So keep an eye out for that kind of energy today. Better still, seek to embody it yourself.

I see the King of Spears as the card of

the Renaissance Man

(or Renaissance Woman).

Look for

~ or better still,give YOURSELF permission to have~

a restless, joyful, driving curiositythat you allow to take you towardmany different deep fascinations.

More detail?

Okay, here’s my picture of a typical Renaissance Person as represented by this card:

He or she

~ does trigonometry problems for fun and

~ does passable table magic and

~ can conjugate verbs in Latin, French and Japanese or Russian and

~ is being followed by Neil Gaiman on Twitter and

~ converted a car to biodiesel or hydrogen with almost no outside help and

~ understands permaculture and

~ has a rain garden and

~ sang backup for Tom Petty late one night (in a bar) and

~ rides a Harley and

~ wrote a published urban fantasy novel and

~ owns a Prius and a ’68 MGB

~ works with Habitat for Humanity

He or she wants to learn

~ French cooking and

~ Feng Shui and

~ Shamanic Healing and

~ judo and

~ controlled remote viewing and

~ Vedic astrology and

~ Thai massage and

~ book making and

~ classical guitar and

~ how to REALLY make money day trading and

~ how to build a PC by hand and

~ wants to design a line of edgy greeting cards and

~ wants to write a play for Broadway

And so on.

(And willBY GOD! do so, every last bit, by the way.)

But remember, a true Renaissance Person is not just a dibbler-dabbler in lots of things. The characteristic that distinguishes the Renaissance person is a real commitment to explore deeply, todevelop true expertise in the many areas− one at a time if necessary − that appeal. Patience, deep learning and wisdom, not just faking it or cramming to get by, are required here.

So, if you were to really own up to the Renaissancer in you (especially Robin… So there!), what interests, skills, and wisdom will you go after? Which one first? How will you pursue it deeply? How can you start TODAY?

Brightest blessings, joy and wonder!

Quote for the Day:Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal.~E. O. Wilson

Fortune Cookie: Reach out. Ask for help. Let yourself receive help − help of all kinds from all appropriate levels. Especially seek assistance from those who are extremely capable of helping you understand, take on and overcome the difficulties [or go after the new goals] that may be trying to creep up [or that are emerging].

Hmmmmm… Very interesting card for 12-12-12, eh? But just as interesting for the 27th of Kislev, 5773, I’d say!

Okay. For those of you who weren’t focusing all so very swell when this card showed up way back toward at the end of July:

Yo! Yo! Ovah Heeeyah! Ye-yah. Heee-yah! I’m tawking to yuuu—-uuuuuu!

PAY ATTENTION!

[And by the way, what DIDN’T you ask for help with back then that you might have. Eh?] [And and, as it showedup for us on Feb. 29, Leap Day, may I strongly suggest again that we all look at the entire rest of the year through the lens this particular card offers? Pretty please? With caviar and party franks? Or Frank’s party?]

As I said the last couple of times this card showed up, this is really one of those cards that a client only has to see for about a second before they start whining and puling. Can’t say I blame them, based on how the Eight of Swords is usually depicted.

Even in my Legend deck, the largest elements are Guenevere tied to the stake, wood piled about her, the executioner (looking very much like Lurch from the original Adams family) ready to set the pyre alight. Charmin’ all ’round, ’tis.

So when intuitive consultants (Tarot types) typically offer interpretations along the lines of bad news, conflict, slander, crisis, regret and being held at a disadvantage − I suppose I can see why a client might whimper some.

However − as most of you have already begun to say under your breath – ol’ Nealio, he don’t see it THAT way.

Let’s think about something for a second. [Yes, you have to. Have another coffee or a strawberry cough pancake for pity’s sake.]

Why do people come to guys like me for a reading? [Be nice. Remember, I STILL know your email address.] [And besides, I need the answer to that question for a fall marketing blitz.]

People should NOT NOTNOT come to a Tarot reader just to hear what’s gonna happen. They SHOULD work with people of my ilk to learn what THEY need to know that will help THEM maximize success and optimize outcomes!BIIIIIIIG difference!

I like a phrase my wife shared with me. “Some American Indians think of prophecy as that which can be changed.”

So, you come to me for a reading. The Eight of Swords turns up. You start looking for a place to hide. You find you don’t fit under the table and you can’t leap from the window because we’re in a basement.

So I say,

Wait a minute! Wait! Wait! Wait!

[Wait!]Don’t leap (or claw your way up) to conclusions!

The first thing this card is telling you is that, if you’ve been feeling bound, trapped, concerned that there’s some negativity trying to bring you down, you’re right. You’re not just being a wuss.

But! BUT!!!!! Look carefully at the card, Watson.

The Queen is tied to the stake and about to become an order of crispy-crunchy, dipping sauce upon request, no vegans please. However, peer more closely [I’m exerting peer pressure] and you’ll see there are knights coming over the hill, riding to her rescue. And, if you remember your old Richard Harris movies, they will succeed.

This card is a gift to you, warning you in advance of possible crisis and other down-side realities. And sure, if you freeze like a deer in the headlights, you will become Highway Sushi.

How should you deal with this card? Do what Guenevere did.

Reach out.

Ask for help.

Let yourself receive help − help of all kinds from all appropriate levels.

Especially seek assistance from those who are extremely capable of helping you understand, take on and overcome the difficulties [or go after the new goals] that may be trying to creep up [or that may be emerging].

That will lead you to the most positive outcome possible, and even to a successful turnaround of the situation.

This card offers an end to adversity and a new beginning.

Let me repeat that for greater effect:

This card offers

an end to adversity

and a new beginning.

But you have to reach out for itand grab the help when it’s there. (After all, don’t you owe it to all the rest of us to make your life, and thus the greater vibration, better?)

Feeling tied down or tied in knots? DON’T try to handle it alone. Reach out. Get general support from all those who care about you. Engage those who have the strength, skill and wisdom to help you free yourself and move on to new, bright possibilities. And make it a habit not to go solo any more. Reach out. Ask for help − of the highest and best kind.

Bright blessings, hope, peace and joy!

Quote for the Day: Let a joy keep you. Reach out your hands and take it when it runs by. ~ Carl Sandburg

This card last popped up for the blog about a month ago. It’s one that has a lot of helpful direction to it. It is, however, another one of those cards that sets clients awhimperin’ just from the visuals. [Except for those who are superGoth. They still always ask for directions so they can find the place. And whether there is an app for the thing. And where they can buy ‘shrooms. And GOOD eyeliner.]

The card, you see, (at least in the deck I use) portrays a wayfaring knight who has ridden into a lonely chapel to protect himself and his steed from a furious storm. He notices that the altar is without any adornment, save for a large, brightly flaming candle. As he waits, and drips, he sees a giant, clawed, monstrous hand reach in through the window high above the altar and make to extinguish the light.

What a swell and encouraging image. Yes?

Anyway, some readers believe the Eight of Cups conveyseither turning away from felicity and celebration, or the exact opposite[I guess it depends which side of bed the reader fell out of that morning]. Others believe this is a card that calls for the querent (questioner) tolook for a deeper meaning in life; it betokens a time for soul searching. [Preferably without the distraction of a giant, clawed, monstrous hand, would be my guess.]

Anna-Marie Ferguson, creator of the Legend deck, finds this card to be aboutabandoning a path, achange of plans, and escaping an unhealthy situation, among other things. I can work with those meanings, and if you feel that applies to your life in any way at the moment, please take the insight to heart.

Of course, I have my own particular take on the card. When it turns up for a client, once I have gotten them to calm back down from the impact of the visual, I usually say things like